Type-writing machine.



J. T. SGHAAFF.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1909.

972,255. Patented Oct. 11,1910.

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Patented oct.11,19"10.

J. T. SUHAAFF. TYPE WRITING MAUHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1909.

INVER; #4 J. E/ LMW [3 I I M HIE/ATTORNEY THE nonnls FETERs'cal, wAsHmcraN n c UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

JOHN T. SCHAAFF, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNION TYPEWRITEE COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. SCHAAFF, citizen of the United States, and resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Writing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to typewriting machines and more particularly to type actions for such machines.

The main object of my invention is to provide a type action which gives a light, soft and easy touch to the key and which will nevertheless provide an efiicient type stroke.

A further object of my invention is to provide a type action in which the type bar is accelerated as it approaches the printing position and to provide adjusting means whereby the leverage may be regulated.

To the above and other ends which will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the features of construction, arrangements of parts and combinations of devices set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the various views, Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical front to rear sectional view showing enough of a typewriting machine to illustrate my invention in its embodiment therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same, the section being taken on the line 50-00 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow at said line. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail side elevation with parts in section of another form of type action embodying my invention. Fig. 4 is a like view showing a modified form of construction for mounting and adjusting the anchored pivot of the fulcrum links.

The frame of the machine comprises abase 1, corner posts 2 and a top plate 3. A carriage (not shown) travels from side to side of the machine in the usual manner and carries a platen 4, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1. A type bar segment 5 may be mounted to receive a vertical shifting movement as in the Monarch machine, in order to change the case position of the types with reference to the platen, although from certain aspects of my invention it is immaterial whether the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 16, 1909.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 490,221.

type bar segment or platen or either is shifted. Type bar hangers 6 are secured by screws 7 to the type bar segment 5. Type bars 8 are pivoted to the hanger at 9 and are segmentally arranged to strike upwardly and rearwardly against the front face of the platen. Each type bar is pivotally connected to a pull link 10 which in turn is pivotally connected to an upright arm of an angular sub-lever 11. Each sub-lever is carried by and pivoted at 12 to the key lever 13. The key levers may be provided with curved treads or contact edges 14 for cooperation with a fulcrum plate 15 as in the Monarch machine, or the key levers may be pivoted upon a pivot rod or fulcrum in the ordinary manner. Each key lever is provided with a finger key 16 and a restoring spring 17. Each sub-lever has an off-set angular arm 18 which projects forwardly in the general direction of the length of the associate key lever 13. The forward end of each angular off-set arm 18, which is beneath its key lever, is pivoted as at 19 to one end of the fulcrum link 20, the opposite end of the fulcrum link being adapted to turn on an anchored pivot rod 21 which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, extends transversely of the machine above the series of key levers and is connected at its ends to lever-like arms 22 pivoted at 23 to the inner sides of the base of the machine. The lever-like arms 22 eX- tend downwardly beyond their pivots 23 and are each provided with an outwardly extending screw 24 which is fixed to the arm. Each screw 24 passes through a segmental slot 25 to the outer side of the machine where each screw cooperates with a thumb nut 26 adapted to bear against the outer face of the base when tightened on the screw, in order to maintain the arms in the positions to which they are adjusted.

It will be understood that an adjustment of the screws 24 along the slots 25 will effect a swinging movement of the pivot rod 21 around a center which is in line with the pivots 19 which connect the fulcrum links and floating sub-levers 11. It will be seen that this adjustment of the pivot rod 21 is effective to simultaneously adjust the anchored ends of all of the fulcrum links and to change the angular positions of the links with reference to the sub-levers to leverage.

which they are connected and to alter the leverage of the keys on the type bars. The leverage of each key on its type bar is increased as the anchored end of the fulcrum link is adjusted in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. l and is decreased as the anchored end of the fulcrum link is adjusted in the opposite direction. The change in the adjustment of the anchored ends of the fulcrum links, changes the touch accordingly as theadjustment increases or decreases the It should be understood that the change of leverage referred to is that which is given by the adjustment of the connections between the key levers, sub-levers and fulcrum links and is independent of that afforded during the depression of the key by the rolling contact faces let on the fulcrum plate 15, this last mentioned means affording an acceleration of the type bars when operated. Moreover, the construction is such that the change of leverage effected by an adjustment of the anchored ends of the links, does not interfere, to any appreciable extent, with the acceleration effected by the rolling contact of the key levers on the fulcrum plate. The fulcrum links may be maintained spaced apart upon the pivot or fulcrum rod 21 by spacing sleeves 27 as shown in Fig. 2.

When a finger key is depressed the end of the angular off-set arm 18 or the pivot which connects it and the associated fulcrum link, describes an are indicated by the arrow Z) in Fig. 1, moving upwardly and forwardly, tending therefore to effect a rearward and downward movement of the upward end of a sub-lever. This manner of connecting the fulcrum links to extend upwardly from their points of pivotal connect-ion with the sublevers to their anchored ends, so that the pivots 19 receive an upward movement upon the depression of a key, renders the action most eflicient and gives a soft, light and easy touch to the action, especially when the links are disposed substantially as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The construction as a whole is such that an acceleration of the type bar in its movement to the printing position, is afforded without detracting from the advantages specified above.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified form of the construction in which the key levers 13 are constructed in the manner hereinbe fore described and each key lever has pivoted thereto at 12 a sub-lever 11 The fulcrum links 20 in this construction, however, are shorter than in the construction previously described and are pivoted on a pivot rod 21 which extends beneath, instead of above, the system of key levers. This construction affords a greater range of adjustment and an acceleration of the type bar, as well as'agreater degree of variation in-leverage by an adjustment of the pivot 21. As

shown the pivots 19 will each describe an are indicated by the arrow 0 on the depression of a finger key. It will be understood that the pivot rod 21 is mounted and adjusted in the manner hereinbefore described and that the modified construction, except as indicated, is similar to that previously described.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of construction for mounting and adjusting the anchored pivot rod. In this view the parts correspond to those shown in Fig. 1 except that the pivot rod 21 extends through mental slots 28 in the sides of the base 1, to the outer sides thereof where they are threaded for cooperation with thumb nuts 26, the rod being directly supported by the walls of the slots 28. The slots 28 are arcshaped, the center on which the arcs are struck being coincident to the axes of the pivots 19.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a sub-lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said key lever and havin an angular oif-set at the lower end thereof, a fulcrum link pivoted 'atone end to the angular off-set end of the sub-lever and swinging at its other end on a fulcrum situated above the pivotal connection between the sub-lever and link, the said link being substantially parallel with the upper arm of said sub-lever when the parts are in normal position.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a sub-lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said key lever, and a fulcrum link pivoted at one end to the lower end of the sub-lever and anchored at its other end and directing the lower end of the sub-lever upwardly during the key depression.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a sub-lever carried by and pivoted intermediate its ends to said key lever, said sub-lever having an arm at the lower end thereof that extends longitudinally of the key lever, and a fulcrum link pivoted to said arm and which extends upwardly from said arm and has an anchored pivot at its upper end and directs the ends of the arm to which the link is connected upward on the depression of a key.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key actuated lever therefor, a fulcrum link for said lever, said link being anchored at its upper end, and means for adjusting the upper anchored end of said link about the other end as a center.

5. In a typewriting machine,the combination of a type bar, a key actuated floating lever for actuating said type bar, a fulcrum link for the floating lever, one end of said fulcrum link being anchored and the other end being pivotally connected with the lever, and means for adjusting the anchored end of the fulcrum link around the pivotal connection between said link and lever.

6. In a typewriting machine,the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a floating sub-lever pivoted to the key lever and operatively connected with said type bar, a fulcrum link for said floating sub-lever, and means for adjusting said fulcrum link around its point of connection with the sublever as a center.

7. In a typewriting machine,the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a sub-lever carried by and pivoted to said key lever and connected with said type bar, afulcrum link pivoted at one end to said sub-lever and anchored at its other end, means for causing an acceleration of the type bar when it is operated, and means for adjusting said fulcrum link to bring it closer to or farther from the pivotal point of connection be tween said key lever and said sub-lever to' change the leverage of the key on the type bar.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a sub-lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the key lever, means for connecting one end of the sub-lever to the type bar, a fulcrum link connected at its lower end to the other end of said sub-lever and anchored at its upper end, and means for adjusting the anchored end of said link.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combina tion of a type bar, a key lever, a'sub-lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the key lever, means for connecting one end of the sub-lever to the type bar, a fulcrum link pivoted at its lower end to the other end of said sub-lever, the upper end of the fulcrum link being anchored, and means for adjusting the anchored end of said fulcrum link around the pivotal connection between said link and sub-lever.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key lever, a sublever pivoted intermediate its ends to the key lever, means for connecting one end of the sub-lever to the type bar, a fulcrum link pivoted at one end to the other end of said sub-lever, the other end of the fulcrum link being anchored, and means for adjusting the anchored end of said fulcrum link around the point of pivotal connection between the fulcrum link and sub-lever as a center and for maintaining the anchored end of the link in the position to which it is adjusted.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a type bar, a key actuated lever therefore,a fulcrum link pivoted at one end to said lever, an anchored pivot on which the other end of said fulcrum link is pivoted,

and means for adjusting said anchored pivot to different set positions around the other pivoted end of the link as a center and for retaining the anchored pivot in the different positions to which it may be adjusted.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of-type bars, a series of key actuated levers therefor, a series of freely swinging, anchored fulcrum links one for each of said levers, and means for simultaneously adjusting all of said fulcrum links.

13. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key actuated levers therefor, a series of fulcrum links for said levers, each of said links being anchored at one end and pivotally connected at its opposite end to one of said key actuated levers, and means for simultane ously adjusting the anchored ends of all of said links.

14:. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key actuated levers therefor, a series of fulcrum links for said levers, each of said links being anchored at one end and pivotally connected at its opposite end to one of said key actuated levers, and means for simultaneously adjusting the anchored ends of all. of said links around the pivots which connect the fulcrum links with said levers.

15. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key levers, a series of floating sub-levers actuated by said key levers and operatively connected with said type bars, a series of fulcrum links for said sub-levers, and means for simultaneously adjusting all of said links.

16. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key levers, a series of sub-levers carried by and pivoted to said key levers and operatively connected with said type bars, a series of fulcrum links pivotally connected to said sub-levers, and means for simultane ously adjusting all of said links.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key levers, a series of sub-levers each pivoted intermediate its ends to a key lever, means for connecting one end of each of the sub-levers to a type bar, a series of fulcrum links each connected to the other end of a sub-lever, and means for simultaneously adjusting all of said links.

18. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key levers, a series of sub-levers each pivoted intermediate its ends to a key lever, means for connecting one end of each of the sub-levers to a type bar, a series of fulcrum links each pivoted at one end to the other end of asub-lever, the opposite end of each of said fulcrum links being pivoted on an anchored pivot that constitutes a pivot for all of said links, and means for adjusting said pivot.

19. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a series of type bars, a series of key levers, a series of sub-levers each pivoted intermediate its ends to a key lever, means for connecting one end of each of the sub-levers to a type bar, a series of fulcrum links each pivoted at one end to theother end of a sub-lever, the opposite end of each fulcrum link being pivoted on an anchored pivot that constitutes a pivot for all of said links, and means for adjusting said pivot around a center that is in line with the pivots which connect the sub-levers and fulcrum links.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of April A. D. 1909.

JOHN T. SGI-IAAFF.

W'itn'esses CHARLES E. SMITH, J. B. DEEVES. 

